Foot stools or hassocks are desirable items of furniture in most households and are particularly useful when lounging and/or watching television, listening to music and the like. Most foot stools or hassocks serve a single purpose, that is, they support the feet when sitting in a relaxed position, or are used as a separate seat. A number of adults and children enjoy snacks, such as pop corn, cracked nuts, and the like while lounging or watching television. When cracking nuts, some of the broken shell fragments frequently end up on the carpet and are difficult to remove. By providing a hassock with a removable top cushion and a hollow interior, a nutcracker may be provided within the the hassock in easy accessible position to be used with a minimum of effort and cleaning up after use. The excess space in the hollow hassock, not occupied by the nutcracker, may serve as a temporary disposal area for the nut shell particles and thereby avoid having the cracked shell fragments trapped in the carpet.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel item of furniture that serves as a foot stool or hassock, as well as a nutcracker container and disposal area for cracked nut shells and other debris.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a removable cushioned top for a foot stool or hassock.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable foot stool that houses a nutcracker, a serving tray, and serves as a temporary disposal container for cracked nut shells.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose, light weight, hollow furniture item.